Himawari! (ひまわりっ!) is a Japanese anime series created by GoDo, directed by Shigenori Kageyama, and produced by Genco. It was aired on Chiba TV from April 8, 2006 to July 1, 2006 and afterwards got a second season, Himawari!! (ひまわりっ!!), and a short manga to connect the two, Himawari-den! (ひまわり伝っ!).

Plot

Kasumi Kogen, which translates to "The Village of Mist", is a town somewhere in rural Japan. In this town there is a school, the Shinobi Gakuen, where competent female students gather from all over Japan and train to become kunoichi (female ninja). The people of Kasumi Kogen are alumni of the school, and they run and jump and disappear as if the whole town were a big ninja house. The story begins as a girl, Himawari Hinata, arrives in Kasumi Kogen. She has transferred to Shinobi Gakuen to train under Ichikawa Raiso and fulfill a dream of becoming a kunoichi that she has fostered since she was saved by one in her childhood. On her first day, she meets Hayato Marikoji, a teacher who is himself just arriving at Shinobi Gakuen, and he saves her life. Hayato does not possess any ninja skills; he is teaching the students about normal Japanese society in order to pay a large debt that was originally his friend's debt but was passed down to him. However, Himawari notices that Hayato bears the same mark on his neck as the ninja who saved her when she was young. Himawari! is the story of Himawari and her journey to become a kunoichi, and the vow she makes to protect her teacher.

Characters

Anime

The opening theme for the first season is Taiyō no Kakera" by Ryōko Shiraishi while the ending theme is "Guruguru Himawari ver." by Eufonius. For the second season, the opening theme is "Sorairo no Tsubasa" by Ryōko Shiraishi and the ending theme changes for various episodes - "Kirakira" by Eufonius (episodes 1, 8, and 13), Aya Hirano (episodes 2, 9, and 12), Kana Matsumoto (episodes 3, 6, and 10), Mayumi Yoshida (episode 4), Ryoko Shiraishi (episodes 5 and 11), and Asumi Nakata (episode 7).

Series overview

Episode list

Season 1 (2006)

Season 2 Himawari!! (2007)